Winding and hand-setting crown for diver watches



Nov. 4, 1969 R. SOGUEL WINDING AND HAND-SETTING CROWN FOR DIVER WATCHES Filed May 7. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n9 1 5 w m 4 NA m/ w gig g X H W, 6 mmmmmzv FIE. .Z

R. SOGUEL WINDING AND HAND-SETTING CROWN FOR DIVER WATCHES Nov.- 4, 1969 2 sheets sheet 2 Filed May 7, 1968 III United States Patent O US. C]. 5890 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A winding and hand-setting crown for diver watches comprising a pair of identical and resilient packing members secured to the body member of the crown, each of which consists of a flat ring engaging the watchcase tube only by an edge pressed thereagainst by a bearing surface of the body member of the crown and of an intermediate ring secured thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to winding and hand-setting crowns for diver watches and, more particularly, to crowns comprising resilient packing means located in a cavity of a body member of the crown and being pressed against a watchcase tube.

Description of the prior art In order that a watch may be carried by somebody having an activity in the field commonly known as skindiving, it must comprise a casing which remains perfectly watertight when it is exposed to strong overpressures, although the divers do usually not swim at depths at which their watches would be submitted to such overpressures. The tightness of diver watches thus tested is under pressures ranging between 40 and 60 atmospheres.

To obtain the desired tight closure of the casing at the passage of the winding and hand-setting stem, the crown has, of course, to be manufactured so as to stand under the required pressures.

The known crowns used in diver Watches are therefore equipped with packing means which encompass the watchcase tube over a larger surface than with usual watches. Since the diameter of the watchcase tube is usually the same in a diver watch as in a usual watch, the packing means of a crown for diver watches must encompass the watchcase tube over a higher portion than with usual watches in order to satisfy the above-mentioned condition.

The known crowns for diver watches thus have the drawback that they cannot be actuated easily, unless they are made not only higher, but also with a larger diameter than the usual crowns. As a result thereof, the crowns of diver watches constitute a big and unaesthetic projection protruding from the watchcase so that the crown is moreover exposed to the risk of being torn away when it happens to come in contact with some foreign hard body. With a watch which does not comprise a self-winding mechanism, the known crowns for diver watches have furthermore the drawback that upon winding the watch, it cannot be noticed when the watch spring has been completely wound up. Since the torque which can be exerted on the winding stem by means of the known crowns for diver watches, exceeds the breaking load of the motor spring of the watch, this spring obviously has to be protected by a device preventing overwinding the motor spring.

3,475,901 Patented Nov. 4, 1969 ice It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a crown for diver watches which does not have the abovementioned drawbacks.

A more particular object of the invention consists in providing the crown with packing means comprising a pair of identical and resilient members which are superimposed to each other, each having, in its natural state, the shape of a flat ring with parallel side faces, an inner end face having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the watchcase tube and a thickness larger than the distance between the outer surface of the watchcase tube and the inner surface of the outer Wall of the crown body member, an intermediate ring being inserted between said two packing members.

Crowns for usual watertight watches comprising a single packing member similar to those of the crown improved according to the invention, are already known in the art. Since the packing member of these known crowns has only one edge engaging the watchcase tube, they can easily be actuated. Said packing member does however not ensure a tight closure capable of standing under outer pressures much stronger than two or three atmospheres.

Tests made with the crown improved according to the invention have, however, shown that superimposing two identical packing members produces the highly astonishing result that the crown ensures a perfectly reliable tight closure under the pressures at which diver watches are tested nowadays, i.e. under pressures as high as 40 atmospheres. Even after having made more than a thousand revolutions around the watchcase tube with the crown improved according to the invention, it could be observed that the packing means thereof still ensured a tight closure under pressures as high as 25 atmospheres. Moreover, the improved crowns can always be easily actuated; they can be made with the same sizes as the crowns for usual watches and the watch itself has not to be provided with a device preventing overwinding the spring motor of the watch. The watch movement can be a usual watch movement with or without a self-winding mechanism.

Still further particular objects of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Three embodiments of the crown improved according to the invention are represented diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an axial section of the first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a similar section of the second embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a similar section of the third embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view on a larger scale of a member of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The crown represented in FIG. 1 comprises a metallic body member 1 provided with an annular cavity 2 arranged for receiving a tube 3 secured to the casing 4 of a diver watch. Cavity 2 extends around a tapped tubular projection 5 provided in the center of 'body member 1 of the crown for screwing the latter on a winding and hand-setting stem 6 controlling the movement of the watch. The central tubular projection 5 is surrounded by an outer wall 7 of 'body member 1. An annular recess 8 is provided in wall 7 adjacent to the opening of cavity 2. Recess 8 has a bottom face 29 intersecting with the inner surface 30 of wall 7 along an edge 14 which is either bevelled or rounded. It is arranged for receiving the packing means of the crown. These packing means comprise a pair of identical and resilient packing members 9, which are superimposed to each other. An intermediate ring 11 is inserted between members 9 and 10 and a closing ring 12 secured to wall 7 by a rim 13 holds members -9, 10 and ring 11 axially in place within recess 8.

, When member 9, 10 are in their natural state, i.e. before locating them in recess 8, they have the shape of flat rings.. Their side faces 31 are accordingly parallel. Moreover, the diameter of their inner end' faces 18, 19 is substantially equal to that of tube 3. Their thickness is finally larger than the distance a between the outer surface of tube 3 and the inner surface 30 of wall 7.

The intermediate ring 11 is made of metal like body member 1 of the crown and closing ring 12. Ring 11 has substantially the same thickness as ring 12, but a larger inner diameter. The latter is equal to that of the inner surface 30 of wall 7. Ring 11 has an inner lower free edge 15 which is given the same shape as edge 14 of body member 1.

The internal side faces 32 and 33 of rings 11 and 12, respectively, which are directed toward the bottom of cavity 2, carry annular ridges 16, 17, respectively, having a triangular cross-section and serving as anchoring means for members 9 and 10. However, ridges 16, 17 not only hold members 9 and 10 within recess 8. When they enter the parts of members 9, 10 adjacent to the external side faces 31 thereof upon assembling the packing means of the crown and securing ring 12 to wall 7, they additionally stretch these parts so that the external side faces of members 9 and 10 become larger than the internal side faces of these members. As a result of this deformation, the inner end faces 18, 19 of members 9, 10 extend in an inclined direction relative to the watchcase tube 3, even before shifting the crown thereupon. When the crown is shifted upon tube 3, the latter is engaged by the edges 20, 21 of the inner end faces 18, 19 of members 9, 10, which have the smaller diameter. Since the distance a is smaller than the thickness of members 9, 10, the free inner portion of these two members cannot enter the annular gap between the tube 3 and the outer wall 7 of body member 1 of the crown. In other words, the edges 20, 21 of members 9, 10 cannot rise into cavity 2 beyond the bottom recess '8 and the external side surface of ring 11, respectively. Edges 14 and 15 thus serve as a bearing for members 9, 10, which radially presses edges 20, 21 thereof against tube 3. Since ring 11 has the same inner diameter as wall 7, the two members 9 and 10 operate exactly under the same conditions.

Due to the fact that the packing means of the crown described bear against tube 3 of the watchcase only along two edges, these packing means do not produce a strong friction on the tube. The crown described can accordingly be actuated as easily as the watertight crowns provided for usual watches. For the same reason the improved crown can also be made with the same sizes as watertight crowns for usual watches.

Instead of using an intermediate ring having the same thickness as the closing ring 12, a thinner ring as shown in the second embodiment (FIG. 2) could also be resorted to. The intermediate ring 22 of this second embodiment is still rigid like ring 11 of the first embodiment so that its bevelled or rounded edge 23 causes edge 21 of member 10 to be pressed against tube 3 under the conditions described with reference to the first embodiment.

The reduced thickness of ring 22 permits the anchoring means provided for member 9 to be manufactured in a different manner. In the second embodiment, tongues 24-, each having the form of a sector of a circular zone, are formed all around ring 22 at regularly staggered places thereof. These tongues are cut along three sides of said sectors: the outer circular side and the two radial ones. Tongues 24 can then be bent out of the plane of ring 22 so as to engage the external side face of member 9 like ridge 16 of the first embodiment.

The third embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4) shows still a further manufacturing possibility of the intermediate ring. In this third embodiment, the intermediate ring consists of a flat spring 25 made of tempered steel. The inner edge 26 of this ring is bent upwards so that its convex surface has the same shape as rounded edge 14 of body member 1 of the crown. To avoid tearing of the inner edge 26 of ring 25 when bending the same, a plurality of inclined slots 27 are provided around ring 25 from the inner edge and at regularly staggered places thereof. The anohoring means provided on ring 25 are made in a manner similar to that described with reference to the second embodiment. Triangular tongues 28 are cut at regularly staggered places around ring 25 in the vicinity of its outer edge. Tongues 28 are cut along two sides of the triangle. They are then bent at right angle out of the plane of ring 25. Because of the curved shape of edge 26 of ring 25, the anchoring means provided on this ring need not stretch the portion of member 9 adjacent to the external side face thereof in order to hold member 9 in the same position as in the two first embodiments. In the third embodiment, tongues 28 have only to prevent member 9 from being pulled out of recess 8 upon shifting the crown in axial direction along tube 3. Members 9, 10 which constitute the packing means of the crown thus operate in this third embodiment exactly in the same manner as in the two first embodiments.

Tests made with the described crowns have shown that their packing means perfectly withstand the pressures at which diver watches have to be checked.

It should be understood that various changes in the sizes, shape and arrangement of parts can be resorted to within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a diver watch with a watertight casing carrying a watchcase tube and enclosing a watch movement controlled by a winding and hand-setting stem, a winding and hand-setting crown comprising, in combination,

a body member (1) including an outer wall (7) and a central tubular projection (5) arranged for permitting the crown to be secured to the winding and hand-setting stem, said outer wall and said central tubular projection being separated from each other by an annular cavity (2) provided in said body member and being arranged for receiving a portion of the watchcase tube,

a recess (8) provided in said outer wall adjacent to the opening of said cavity, said recess having a bottom face (29) intersecting with the inner surface (30) of said outer wall along a bearing edge (14), packing means located in said recess and comprising a pair of identical and resilient packing members (9, 10) being superimposed to each other, each having, in its natural state, the shape of a flat ring with parallel side faces (31), an inner end face (18, 19) having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the watchcase tube and a thickness larger than the distance (a) between the inner surface of said outer wall and the outer surface of the watchcase tube, each of said packing members being arranged in said recess so that one of its side faces constitutes an external face and is directed toward the opening of said cavity, an intermediate ring (11) inserted between the two members of said pair of packing members and having an internal side face (32) directed toward the bottom of said cavity and a free edge directed in the opposed direction,

said intermediate ring being made out of a material less resilient than the packing members of said pair and having substantially the same outer diameter as said packing members, but an inner diameter larger than that of said packing members,

a closing ring (12) having an internal side face (33) directed toward the bottom of said cavity and being secured to said outer wall and maintaining said pair of packing members and said intermediate ring within said recess,

and anchoring means (16, 17) for said packing members provided on said internal side faces both of said intermediate ring and of said closing ring, said anchoring means engaging the external faces of said packing members, thereby stretching radially inwards the parts of said packing members adjacent to said external side faces thereof thus causing the inner end faces (18, 19) of said packing members to extend in an inclined direction relative to the watchcase tube, the two edges (20, 21) with the smaller diameter of the inner end faces of each packing mem her being pressed against the watchcase tube by said bearing edge (14) and said free edge (15), respectively.

2. In the winding and hand-setting crown of claim 1, said intermediate ring (11) being rigid and having a rectangular cross-section and an inner diameter equal to the diameter of the inner surface of said outer wall (7),

said free edge (15) being beveled or rounded up in exactly the same manner as said bearing edge (14).

3. In the winding and hand-setting crown of claim 2, said anchoring means (16, 17) consisting of annular ridges having a triangular cross-section.

4. In the winding and hand-setting crown of claim 2, said intermediate ring (22) being thin andjthe anchoring means provided thereon consisting of a plurality of tongues (24) partially cut out therefrom and bent out of the plane thereof.

1 5.. In the winding and hand-setting crown of claim 1, said intermediate ring consisting of a flat spring (25) having its inner edge bent so as to give the face of said ring directed toward the opening of said cavity the shape both of the bottom of said recess (8) and of said bearing edge (14).

r d. In the windlng and hand-setting crown of claim 5, said fiat spring (25) being provided with a plurality of slots ,(27) extending in an inclined direction from its inner edge and being regularly staggered therearound.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1956 Morf. 11/19'59 Waldman.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1/ 1960 France. 

